Things To Do In SW Florida

By Amrita Jayakumar | NerdWallet

The surge in inflation may have slowed, but the cost of everyday items is still high enough to put a strain on your travel budget. If winter already has you dreaming of a luxury beach vacation, it’s worth finding a destination where the U.S. dollar delivers more bang for your buck. Fortunately, there are several options around the world where five-star accommodations are surprisingly affordable, even without using travel rewards.

Travel search engines Skyscanner and Kayak both analyzed data on their platforms to rank the cities where you can book the cheapest five-star hotels. How cheap are we talking? All of the cities in this combined list feature five-star hotels for less than $200 per night.

Skyscanner looked at the average price per night for a five-star hotel room booked on its portal from January through June 2023. Kayak looked at average prices based on searches conducted across all its portfolio domains from July 2022 through June 2023 for travel from November 2022 through October 2023. read more

Holly D. Johnson | Bankrate.com (TNS)

Overall inflation of consumer prices increased 3.4% over the 12 months leading up to December 2023, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. the largest increase in over 40 years. After that, regular inflation numbers finally slowed, with the most recent figure coming in at 4.0% during the 12 months leading up to May of 2023.

Consumers are bearing the brunt of rising prices and interest rates, unfortunately. And while this isn’t great news, Americans have weathered these storms before. From coupon clipping to discount shopping, we know there are ways to soften the blow of inflation.

By using your credit cards strategically, you may be able to earn discounts in common spending categories where prices are rising. Here are tips on how you can use your credit card rewards to save on food and fuel spending.

Inflation’s impact on food and fuel

How much are you spending on groceries and gas nowadays? The average family of four with two adults and two kids ages 8 and 10 is now spending $1,306.30 per month on a moderate food spending plan, according to November 2023 data from the USDA. read more